How to Build Conditions for Learning that Contribute to the Success of All Students David Osher

1. How to Build Conditions for Learning that Contribute to the Success of All StudentsDavid Osher

2. Introduction: How Do We Approach the Challenge of Student Success Through School Improvement

3. Bottom Line: Key Components of Safe & Successful Schools • Academic Press • Support For Students And Faculty To Meet High Academic And Behavioral Standards • Strong Conditions For Learning And Teaching • Relational Trust • Sense Of Efficacy & Accountability For All Students • Effective Collaboration & Coordination Between And Among All Stakeholders • Continuous Quality Improvement (A “Problem Solving Approach”) • 3-level Approach To Promotion, Prevention And Intervention

4. Thought Question: Is it the Fish or is it the Water? Is the Problem The Disruptive Student? The School Environment? The Community Environment? Some Combination Of The Above? All Of The Above? Adapted from: Beth Doll, University of Nebraska

5. Community School Family Teachers Friends Classroom Student Where to Intervene?

6. Schools as Risk & Protective Factors in the Lives of Students

7. Students who are At Risk are particularly susceptible to: • Low Teacher Efficacy • Low Teacher Support • Negative Peer Relationships • Chaotic Environments • Poor Instructional And Behavioral Practices

8. Work at Three Levels Intervene Early & Provide Focused Youth Development Activities Implement strategies and provide supports that address risk factors and build protective factors for students at risk for severe academic or behavioral difficulties. Provide Individualized Intensive Supports Provide coordinated, intensive, sustained, culturally competent, individualized, child- and family- driven and focused services and supports that address needs while building assets. Build a Schoolwide Foundation Universal prevention and youth development approaches, caring school climate, positive and proactive approach to discipline, personalized instruction, cultural competence, and strong family involvement.

9. School as a Risk Factor • Alienation • Academic Frustration • Chaotic Transitions • Negative Relationships With Adults And Peers • Teasing, Bullying, Gangs • Poor Adult Role Modeling • Segregation With Antisocial Peers • School-driven Mobility & • Harsh Discipline, Suspension, Expulsion, Push Out/Drop Out

10. Example of School Effects: Impact of 1st Grade Teachers on Seventh Grade School Outcomes? The Impact of First Grade Teacher Capacity on 7th Grade Behavior (Kellam, Ling, Merisca, Brown, & Ialongo, 1998)

11. School Effects: Other Examples • School Context Accounted For Much Or More Of The Variation Of Middle School Student’s Experience Of Emotional Distress Than Family Context (Resnick Et Al. 1997) • Teacher Support, Not Parents, Had The Greatest Impact On School And Class Interest (Wentzel, 1998)

12. School as a Protective Factor and as a Resilient Context • Connection • Academic Success • Supported Transitions • Positive Relationships With Adults And Peers • Caring Interactions • Social Emotional Learning • Positive Interactions With Pro-social (Not, Anti-social) Peers • Stability • Positive Approaches To Disciplinary Infractions & • Services And Supports

13. PATHS Universal Intervention End of First Grade (1 Year of Intervention) Children Who Receive PATHS Rate Their Classmates As Significantly Less Aggressive Than Do Children In Randomized Comparison Classes Fast Track Study – 378 Classrooms – 6715 children CPPRG, 1999 – Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

14. All The Logic of Universal Intervention • Cannot Identify All Who Are At Risk • Children Affect Each Other • No Stigma • No Self-fulfilling Prophecies • No Homogenous Grouping • Per Child Cost Is Less • Provides A Foundation Universal Interventions

15. Supporting Conditions for Learning • Connection • Attachment • Trust • Care • Respect Social Emotional Learning & Support Positive Behavioral Approaches & Supports • Learning Supports • Effective Pedagogy • Engagement • Motivation

16. Conditions for Learning & Teaching Matrix for Needs Assessment, Asset Mapping, & Planning Safety Support Challenge SEL All Some Few

17. Say Yes to Education/AIR Monitoring System Pre-K K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12 13-16 Off Track On Track On Track to Thrive

18. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. Find & Address the Root Causes Pluck the nutritiouslow hanging fruit! What’s the problem? Why is it happening? What can be done to prevent it from happening again?

19. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. Questions ? Think about your school: • Are you be satisfied with the current level of academic performance? • Do students have a positive social experience? • Are all families involved with the school and their child’s learning? • Does the community support your school? • What would you change?

20. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. Changed: Capacity Behavior School Students Staff Families Strategies District School Students School Staff Families Logic Model for Strategic Change Vision Assets, Capacities & Needs District School Students School Staff Families

21. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. Changed: Capacity Behavior School Students Staff Families Strategies District School Students School Staff Families First Working Session 1 Vision 2 Assets, Capacities, & Needs District School Students School Staff Families

22. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 3 Changed: Capacity Behavior School Students Staff Families Strategies District School Students School Staff Families Second Working Session 1 Vision 2 Assets, Capacities, & Needs District School Students School Staff Families

23. Safe and Respectful Climate • Physical Safety • Little Or No Fighting, Bullying, Crime, Gang Presence, Or Substance Abuse

24. Safe and Respectful Climate • Emotional Safety • Climate Of Mutual Respect And Trust • Students Comfortable Taking Personal And Academic Risks

25. Middle School is the Worst Period 42.9 Source: Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2008; Kevin Jennings

26. Jeffrey Sprague

27. Common response to Behavioral Problems • Pay more attention to problem behavior • Reduce Opportunities for Engagement • E.g. wait time • Increase Monitoring and Supervision • Restate rules & sanctions • Refer disruptive students to office • Suspend • Expel

29. The “Racial Safety Gap” at SchoolPercentage of students responding “Neutral” or “No” to the question: “Do you feel safe at school?” Source: Springs, Iannotti, Nansel and Haynie2007; Kevin Jennings

30. The Racial Discipline Disparity: Disproportionality in Suspension Rates SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2002, 2004, and 2006. Anne Gregory

31. Does Race Have an Impact? Percentage of student population who are Black South Carolina School Crime Incident Report, 1998-99

32. Implications of Council of State Governments Texas Discipline Study (http://justicecenter.csg.org/resources/juveniles) • Nearly 60 % suspended or expelled once in middle or high schools • ~15 percent were suspended or expelled 11 times or more • Only three percent of the disciplinary actions were for conduct in which state law mandated suspensions and expulsions • The rest were made at the discretion of school officials primarily in response to violations of local schools’ conduct codes.

33. Implications of Council of State Governments Texas Discipline Study (http://justicecenter.csg.org/resources/juveniles) • African-American students and those with EBD were disproportionately disciplined for discretionary actions. • Schools that had similar characteristics, including the racial composition and economic status of the student body, varied greatly in how frequently they suspended or expelled students. • Schools that had similar characteristics, including the racial composition and economic status of the student body, varied greatly in how frequently they suspended or expelled students.

34. Bullying: Some Success, But Nothing to Write Home About Campbell Collaboration Meta-analysis of 44 program evaluations (Farrington & Ttofi, 2010) • Overall programs are effective • Bullying decreased by 20-23% • Victimization decreased by 17-20% • Programs worked better: • In Norway • With older children

35. Does punishment “work”? • Sanctions such as office referrals or suspensions may appear to “work” in the short term • Removes student • Provides relief to teachers or administrators

36. Problems with Overreliance on Punishment • Detrimental effects on teacher-student relations • Modeling: undesirable problem solving • Reduced motivation to maintain self-control • Generates student anger • May result in more problems (Mayer, 1991) • Truancy, dropout, vandalism, aggression • Does not teach: Weakens academic achievement • Limited long term effect on behavior

37. How Can We ? • Help students accept responsibility? • Place high value on academic engagement and achievement? • Teach alternative ways to behave? • Focus on restoring the environment and social relationships in the school?

38. Approaches that Appear to Work in Particular Contexts • Academic Engagement • Positive Behavioral Supports • Community Building Approaches • Social Emotional Learning • Restorative Justice • Some Combination of the Above

39. Important Ingredients • Cultural and Linguistic Competency • Developmentally Appropriate • Youth Voice and Youth Drivineness • Ecological • Data Informed • Quality of Support and Implementation

40. Foundation PBIS & SEL

41. Example: School Wide PBS • Can in appropriate situations: • Reduce problem behavior • Increase academic performance • Improve perception of school safety • Reduce teacher stress

42. Experimental Studies of SEL Programs • PATHS • Increased self-control, use of social problem-solving & conflict resolution, decreased conduct problems • Second Step • Decreased antisocial behavior, resulted in fewer negative behaviors in the classroom, lunchroom, and playground • Steps to Respect • Reduced acceptance of bullying, promoted responsibility to help others with bullying problems, more positive social interactions (did not actually reduce bullying overall) • Caring School Communities(formerly the Child Development Project) • Promoted social problem-solving and conflict resolution, democratic values, consideration of others’ needs, and sense of community. Increased spontaneous prosocial behavior and supportive, friendly and helpful behavior; reduced drug and alcohol use

43. Combining SEL and SW PBS (PBIS & Second Step)

44. Social & Emotional Skills

45. Social Emotional Learning • Understand and Manage Emotions • Understand and Manage Relationships • Make Responsible Decisions

46. 15 Minute Break

47. Social and Emotional Learning • Work Well With Others • Cooperate As Team Players

48. Social and Emotional Learning • Solve Problems With Persistence And Creativity • Set And Work Toward Goals • Make Responsible Decisions In Academic And Social Settings • Recognize And Manage Emotions

49. Core Competencies Self-awareness Self-management Social Emotional Learning Responsible decision-making Social awareness Relationship skills Citation: (2008) CASEL Tool 2 - SEL PowerPoint Presentation11.ppt slide #4(PowerPoint Presentation entitled “Social and Emotional Learning for School and Life Success”)

50. Behaviors Teachers Want • Student Self Control • Attends To Teacher’s Instruction • Follows Directions • Controls Temper In Conflict Situations • Responds Appropriately To Aggression • Controls Conflict Situations With Adults • Student Cooperation (Gresham Et Al. 2000; Kerr & Zigmond, 1986; Lane, Pierson, & Givner, 2003; Walker Et Al., 1992)